Six people including one Indian national, four Pakistanis and a policeman were among those killed and at least 28 other people from different nationalities were injured….reports Asian Lite News
Six people, including one policeman were killed and 28 others were injured in an attack on the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque in Wadi Kabir in Muscat on Monday night.
Three attackers were also killed in the incident.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the military and security services announced the conclusion of procedures for addressing the shooting incident the Oman news agency said.
One Indian national, four Pakistanis and a policeman were among those killed and at least 28 other people from different nationalities were injured.
The injured have been transferred to health institutions for treatment it said adding that investigations into the circumstances of the incident have begun.
The Times of Oman reported an eyewitness account at the time of the shooting “The hall of the mosque was packed with hundreds of worshippers and the atmosphere was heavy with tension as the sound of panicked, laboured breathing grew louder. The relentless firing of bullets echoed for over an hour, eventually becoming sporadic, but for nearly three hours, death loomed over us,” the Oman publication cited an eyewitness.
The expatriate recounted that around “500-600 people” were in the Mosque courtyard when they first heard sounds that “resembled fireworks” and there were cries of “Bhaago, Bhaago [run, run].”
“The firing went on for more than an hour and a half. If not for the counter-firing by security officials stationed around the mosque, the tragedy would have been unimaginable. We were instructed to stay silent in the hall. In that moment of despair, I messaged my friend, thinking I might not live to see the dawn. Death seemed imminent. I told my friend to inform my brother in Pakistan if I didn’t survive,” he said, pausing to collect himself.
“The experience was tense, chaotic, and horrific. We felt like hostages for nearly 2-3 hours before ROP officers finally made their way into the building. We were evacuated to the nearby Municipality building around 2:30 a.m. More ROP officials arrived, and we were asked to write down our resident card numbers. Queues were formed, families were united and we were eventually allowed to leave around 4:00 a.m. The ordeal that began around 10:30 p.m. finally came to an end for us.”
The Royal Oman Police expressed its condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
Such an attack is rare in Oman, a frequent regional mediator with a low crime rate. It comes during the Muslim day of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate the seventh-century battlefield martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Muhammad.
Many Shias mark Ashura by performing a pilgrimage to Imam Hussein’s shrine in the Iraqi city of Karbala. Sunni Muslims commemorate the day through fasting.
UAE, Arab nations condemn attack
The UAE has strongly condemned the shooting incident and expressed solidarity with all measures implemented by Oman to protect its security and stability.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence, which undermine security and stability, and endanger the lives of the population, in contravention of international law.
The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of the Sultanate of Oman, and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat General of the Arab League has strongly condemned the shooting incident in Wadi Kabir.
In a statement, the Secretariat General of the Arab League expressed its solidarity with the Sultanate of Oman in any measures it deems necessary to maintain its peace and stability.
The statement conveyed the condolences of the Secretary-General of the Arab League to the Sultanate’s government and people, and to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
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